JP2003252142A - Air bag device for pedestrian - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device for a pedestrian capable of suppressing increase of manufacturing man-hours and cost and keeping the inner pressure of an air bag for a long time. <P>SOLUTION: In the air bag device, the air bag at the completion of expansion covers at least the above part of the cowl substantially in the width direction of a vehicle. The air bag 45 has a coating layer 54 for preventing gas leakage on its outer peripheral surface side, and is formed in the hollow weave. The air bag comprises an expanding part 46 expanding in inflow time of gas for expansion while separating a front wall part 46a and a back wall part 46b having substantially the same flat shape, and a peripheral edge part 52 formed on the periphery of the expanding part so that the front and back wall parts are joined to each other. The air bag has an inflow port 50 that has a substantially cylindrical shape formed by facing the front and back wall parts to make the gas for expansion flow into the expanding part and can make the gas for expansion flow into the expanding part. Only the opening 50a of the tip of the inflow port 50 is a hole penetrating through the inner and outer peripheries. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedestrian airbag device in which an airbag at the time of completion of deployment and inflation covers at least an upper portion of a cowl substantially along a vehicle width direction of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a pedestrian airbag device, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-264146, an airbag is a cowl portion between a hood panel of a vehicle and a windshield. It is configured to be folded and housed and to be expanded and inflated to the upper side of the cowl when the inflating gas flows in to cover the front surface of the front pillar, which is a hard part of the vehicle.

In this type of pedestrian airbag device, the airbag operating circuit outputs a signal from a sensor arranged in the front bumper or the like, which detects a collision with a pedestrian.
I entered and was inflating the airbag.

Therefore, in this type of airbag device,
Because there is a distance until a pedestrian who collides with the front pumper etc. reaches the airbag that has completed deployment and inflation,
It is necessary to maintain the internal pressure of the airbag for a long time, and there is room for improvement in this point in the conventional device.

Further, the inflow portion into which the inflation gas is introduced needs to be connected to an inflator that supplies the inflation gas while preventing gas leakage so that the inner pressure of the airbag can be maintained. It was

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian airbag device capable of maintaining the internal pressure of the airbag for a long period of time while suppressing the increase in manufacturing man-hours and costs. And

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention is for a pedestrian, wherein the airbag at the time of completion of deployment and inflation covers at least an upper portion of a cowl substantially along a vehicle width direction of a vehicle. An airbag device, wherein the airbag is inflated by bag-weaving and expands when the inflating gas flows in by separating a front side wall portion and a back side wall portion having substantially the same planar shape from each other. And a peripheral portion that is arranged around the inflating portion when the front and back side wall portions are overlapped and flattened, and that is formed as a combination of the front and back side wall portions. An inflow port capable of inflowing the inflation gas into the inflatable part, having a substantially cylindrical shape formed by facing the front and back side wall parts, and having an inflow port capable of inflowing the inflating gas into the inflatable part, Only the opening at the tip of the inflow port penetrates the inner and outer circumferences. As the hole is formed, further, on the outer peripheral surface, it provided the coating layer for preventing gas leakage, characterized in that it is configured.

The inflating portion of the airbag is provided with a pillar cover portion capable of covering the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars, and a communicating portion communicating with the left and right pillar cover portions at both left and right ends. Is desirable.

[0009]

In the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, since the airbag is formed by the hollow weave,
An airbag can be easily manufactured by cutting it into a predetermined shape after weaving.

Further, since the bag-woven airbag has a coating layer for preventing gas leakage on the outer peripheral surface side, leakage of inflation gas after inflow is suppressed. Incidentally, the coating layer, when the material for the airbag is fed from the loom during bag weaving, a predetermined coating agent is applied, or, after cutting the material for the airbag, if a predetermined coating agent is applied, It can be easily formed.

Further, an inflow port portion for allowing the inflation gas to flow into the inflating portion is formed in a tubular shape integrally with the inflating portion at the time of bag-weaving as a substantially tubular shape formed by facing the front and back side wall portions of the inflating portion. Therefore, the inflow port portion can be easily formed in communication with the expansion portion without causing gas leakage. Further, since the inflow port is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, it can be externally connected to an inflator or the like that supplies the inflation gas, and the inflow port can be easily secured while ensuring the sealing property. The part can be connected to an inflator or the like.

Furthermore, the hole provided in the air bag is only the opening of the inflow port, and the air bag is configured without a vent hole for exhausting the inflation gas. It itself can be connected to an inflator etc. with good sealing. Furthermore, gas leakage from the inflatable part itself is prevented by the coating layer, so gas leakage from the airbag is prevented as much as possible, and the internal pressure of the airbag after completion of inflation is maintained for a long time. It becomes possible to do.

Therefore, the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention can keep the internal pressure of the airbag for a long time while suppressing an increase in the number of manufacturing steps and cost of the airbag, and further, the expansion gas The inflator or the like as a supply source and the airbag can be connected easily while ensuring the sealing property, so that the number of assembling steps and cost of the airbag apparatus itself can be suppressed.

In the case of the second aspect, for example, a pedestrian interferes with a pillar cover portion on one of the left and right sides of the inflated airbag, and the pillar cover portion interferes with the pedestrian. Even if the inner pressure of the airbag tries to rise due to being pressed, the communication part of the inflating part and the other pillar cover part swell, and it is possible to suppress the increase of the inner pressure of the airbag as much as possible. , Can be prevented. In particular, the communication part communicates with the left and right pillar cover parts that respectively cover the left and right front pillars, and is arranged long in the vehicle left-right direction.
Since it is difficult to interfere with the pedestrian and leave a bulgeable portion on the entire front surface side, it is possible to easily alleviate a sudden increase in the internal pressure of the airbag due to the interference with the pedestrian. .

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the front-rear direction is based on the direction along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction is based on the direction along the left-right direction when the rear side is viewed from the front side of the vehicle. .

The pedestrian airbag device M of the embodiment is
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the airbag 45, the airbag 4
5, an inflator 40 that supplies inflation gas, a case 34 that stores the folded airbag 45 and the inflator 40, and an airbag cover 18 that covers the folded airbag 45. Cowl 12 between the hood panel 3 and the windshield 5
It is arranged at the part of.

In the case of the embodiment, the airbag cover 18 is composed of a cowl louver disposed above the cowl panel 13 on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, and the case 3
4 is fixed to the cowl panel 13.

The cowl 12 comprises a cowl panel 13 having high rigidity on the body 1 side and a cowl louver 18 above the cowl panel 13.

Further, the vehicle V has a front bumper 9,
A sensor 10 capable of detecting a collision with a pedestrian is provided, and when an airbag operating circuit (not shown) inputs a signal from the sensor 10 that has detected a collision with a pedestrian, the inflator 40 is activated to turn on the air. It is configured to deploy and inflate the bag 45.

In addition, the cowl panel 13 is
The panel members 14, 15, 16 made of three steel plates are welded together, and the flow path 13a for guiding the air A flowing from the cowl louver 18 side to the indoor side and the rainwater flowing in from the cowl louver 18 side are supplied to the vehicle V. And a flow path 13b for allowing the liquid to flow from both left and right edges.

Cowl louver 1 as an airbag cover
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, 8 is made of a synthetic resin and is arranged in a crescent-shaped space between the rear end 3a of the hood panel 3 and the windshield 5 so as to extend to the vicinity of both left and right edges of the vehicle V. It is set up. The cowl louver 18 includes an upper wall portion 19 arranged along a substantially horizontal direction and an upper wall portion 19.
And a vertical wall portion 27 extending downward from the front end of the vehicle, and the cross section in the vehicle front-rear direction is substantially inverted L-shaped.

The upper wall portion 19 has a crescent shape when viewed from above, and a weather strip 29 into which the lower end of the windshield 5 is fitted is fixed to the rear end 19a, and the rear portion is located rearward from substantially the center in the vehicle longitudinal direction. On the side, a plurality of insertion holes 21 for flowing rainwater and the like to the cowl panel 13 side are formed. Further, when the airbag 45 is deployed and inflated, the front portion of the upper wall portion 19, which is the front side from the substantially center in the vehicle front-rear direction,
A door portion 25 that is opened by being pushed by the airbag 45 is provided.

The door 25 has a crescent shape when viewed from above,
The rear edge side is configured to open to the vehicle rear side as a hinge portion 24 when opened. A thin rupturable portion 23 that can be ruptured by being pushed by the airbag 45 is provided at a U-shaped portion on the periphery of the door portion 25 excluding the hinge portion 24 side.
Are formed. The hinge part 24 is configured as an integral hinge. Further, in the case of the embodiment, the left and right ends 25a and 25b of the door portion 25 are arranged at positions that are located closer to the vehicle center side than the lower ends 7a of the left and right front pillars 7L and 7R.

When the opening is completed, the door portion 25 is arranged below the windshield 5 so as to cover the front side of the wiper 11 at the initial position which is arranged substantially along the left-right direction of the vehicle. (See the chain double-dashed lines in Figures 3 and 4).

In addition, through holes 20 through which the wiper 11 penetrates are formed in the upper wall portion 19 at two locations, and in the lower surface of the upper wall portion 19 near the hinge portion 24,
A side wall portion 22 extending downward is provided. Side wall 22
Is disposed so as to sandwich the vertical wall portion 27 and the front and rear wall portions 35a and 35b of the peripheral wall portion 35, which will be described later, of the case 34.

The vertical wall portion 27 has a flange portion 27a whose lower end is bent forward, and a weather strip 31 for sealing the lower surface 3b on the rear end 3a side of the hood panel 3 is attached to the flange portion 27a. ing. Weather strip 31
Is arranged so as to be capable of pressure contact in substantially the entire area in the left-right direction on the rear end 3a side of the hood panel 3, and is discontinuously arranged in the lower part of the weather strip 31 in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and is an assembly hole for the cowl panel 13. The clip 32 locked to 13c is
A plurality (five in the embodiment) are attached.

The cowl louver 18 has an upper wall portion 19
While the rear edge side is fitted to the windshield 5, each clip 32 is inserted and locked in the assembly hole 13c, and
Clips 33 (see FIG. 5) arranged on both the left and right edges,
The cowl panel 13 is attached to the cowl panel 13 by inserting and locking it in an assembly hole (not shown) provided in the cowl panel 13.

The front edge of the windshield 5 is fixed to the body 1 side such as the cowl panel 13 using an adhesive 30.

The case 34 is made of sheet metal and is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 6, a peripheral wall portion 35 provided with an opening 34a below the door portion 25, and a bottom wall portion 36 that closes a lower portion of the peripheral wall portion 35,
The front wall portion 35a and the rear wall portion 35b of the peripheral wall portion 35, which face each other in the vehicle front-rear direction, have a box shape with a front-rear portion located near the center in the left-right direction on the front side of the vehicle and rear edges near the left-right direction in the vehicle. It is located on the side and is curved so as to follow the front and rear edges of the door portion 25.

The bottom wall portion 36 has bolts 57 for attaching the airbag 45 and the inflator 40 to the case 34.
An insertion hole 36a through which 42 is inserted is provided. Further, a plurality of (four in the embodiment) brackets 37 for attaching the case 34 to the cowl panel 13 are fixed to the bottom surface of the bottom wall portion 36. Each bracket 37 has an insertion hole 37a through which a bolt 38 is inserted.
And a nut 37b fixed to the peripheral edge of the insertion hole 37a and screwable with the bolt 38. The bolt 38 is screwed into the nut 37b through the insertion hole 13d of the cowl panel 13 and the insertion hole 37a. Case 3 by combining
4 is attached and fixed to the cowl panel 13.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the inflator 40 is a cylinder type in which the axial direction is arranged along the left-right direction of the vehicle, and gas discharge ports (not shown) are arranged at both left and right ends. This inflator 40
The bracket 41, which is held by the bracket 41 and is fixed to the case 34, fixes the case 34.
It is attached and fixed to. In addition, the clamps 44 are used on the left and right ends of the inflator 40, and the airbag 45
The substantially cylindrical inflow port portion 50 described later is connected.

The bracket 41 comprises a holding portion 41a capable of sandwiching and holding the inflator 40, and a mounting piece portion 41b extending from the holding portion 41a. The mounting piece portion 41b has two bolts 42. Is stuck. Then, in a state where the inflator 40 is held by the holding portion 41a, the bolts 42 of the mounting piece portion 41b are inserted into the insertion holes 36a.
When the nut 43 is fastened to each bolt 42 by projecting from the inside of the case 34 to the outside of the case 34 via the inflator 4,
0 can be attached to the case 34.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8, the airbag 45 has an inflating portion 46 which inflates by inflating an inflating gas.
And a peripheral edge portion 52 that is arranged around the expansion portion 46 and does not allow the expansion gas to flow in. The inflating section 46 is configured such that if the inflating gas flows into the inflating section 46,
It will expand so that 6a and the back side wall part 46b may be separated. In the airbag 45, the front wall portion 46a and the back wall portion 46b have the same planar shape, and the wall portion 46a.
46b is a flat air bag type that can be flattened by overlapping each other, and is manufactured by a hollow weave using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

When the inflation and inflation of the air bag 45 is completed,
Most of the back side wall portion 46b is disposed on the vehicle V side,
Most of the front side wall portion 46a is arranged on the free space side away from the vehicle V side.

Further, a coating agent such as silicone for preventing gas leakage is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the airbag 45,
The coating layer 54 is formed.

The inflatable portion 46 of the airbag 45 is
As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7, the shape when the vehicle is not mounted and when the expansion and expansion is completed is formed in an H-shape that is wide in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and "H "
The upper side of the vertical bar part is the left and right front pillars 7L.
Pillar cover 47 (47L / 47) that covers the front surface of 7R
R), the lower side of the left and right vertical bar parts of the “H” is communicated with the pillar cover part 47, and the hood panel 3
The hood cover portion 48 supported on the upper surface 3c of the rear end 3a and on the upper surface 3d near both the left and right edges of the hood panel 3.
(48L / 48R). And
The "H" -shaped horizontal bar portion is configured as the communication portion 49. When the deployment of the airbag 45 is completed, the communication portion 49 extends substantially in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle V from near the lower end front surface of the windshield 5 to the upper surface 3b of the rear end 3a of the hood panel 3.
It covers the upper part of the cowl louver 18 up to the vicinity.

Further, in the communicating portion 49, the inlet portion 50 is bent toward the front edge 49a side (the lower edge side when the vehicle is mounted on the vehicle, which is the lower edge side) while extending forward and approaching each other. Are formed. These inlets 50
Is for allowing the inflation gas from the inflator 40 to flow into the inflatable portion 46 of the airbag 45, and is mounted on the left and right ends of the inflator 40 and connected to the inflator 40 using the clamps 44.

In addition, plate-like attachment pieces 53 are formed at four locations on the peripheral edge portion 52 on the front edge 49a side of the communication portion 49. A mounting hole 53a is formed in each mounting piece 53. The two attachment pieces 53 on the center side are attached to the attachment holes 5
A bolt 42 for attaching the bracket 41 to the case 34 is inserted into the 3a, and when the nut 43 of the bolt 42 is fixed, the bottom wall portion 3 of the case 34 together with the bracket 41 is fixed.
6 (see FIG. 3). The mounting pieces 53 on both the left and right sides have bolts 57 inserted in the mounting holes 53a.
However, the nut 58 is inserted through the insertion hole 36a of the bottom wall 36.
It is attached to the bottom wall portion 36 of the case 34 by being screwed (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 9, the airbag 45 is manufactured by weaving a plurality of airbag materials 55 provided with an inflating portion 46 and a peripheral edge portion 52 by bag-weaving, and from the airbag material 55, The airbag 45 is manufactured by cutting the outer shape of the bag 45 and forming the mounting holes 53a by punching. In addition, the opening 50a at the tip of the inflow port 50 is formed by the airbag material 5
When the outer shape of the airbag 45 is cut from 5, the part 52a of the peripheral edge portion 52 that has closed the opening 50a is cut and formed. Further, in the case of the embodiment, a coating agent is applied when the airbag material 55 is manufactured, and the coating layer 54 is formed before cutting. Of course, the coating layer 54 may be formed after cutting the airbag 45 from the airbag material 55.

The mounting of the pedestrian airbag device M on the vehicle V will be described below. First, the airbag 45 is folded. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the airbag 45 is folded such that the front edge 49a of the communication portion 49 is flattened with the front and back side wall portions 46a and 46b overlapped with each other.
Make a mountain fold or valley fold crease C parallel to
・ Pillar cover 47L ・ 46R ・ Hood cover 48
The L-47R is bellows-folded so as to approach the front edge 49a. Then, as shown in B and C of FIG.
4 on both left and right sides of the airbag 45 so that it can be stored in
The side where 5a and 45b are folded by bellows (communication part 49
By folding back to the rear edge 49b side, the folding work of the airbag 45 can be completed. After the folding is completed, the airbag 45 is appropriately wrapped with a breakable wrapping material for preventing collapse.

After the airbag 45 has been folded, the left and right ends of the inflator 40 held by the holding portion 41a of the bracket 41 are inserted into the inflow ports 50, 50, respectively.
The clamp 44 is used to connect with the inlet port 50. Then, the bolt 42 of the bracket 41 is inserted into each attachment piece 53 near the center of the airbag 45,
Also, the attachment pieces 53 on both the left and right sides of the airbag 45
The bolt 57 is inserted into the mounting hole 53a of the. Then, while inserting the bolts 42 and 57 into the insertion holes 36a of the bottom wall portion 36 so as to project from the inside of the case 34 to the outside, the folded airbag 45 and the inflator 40 are housed in the case 34. If the nuts 43 and 58 are fastened to the bolts 42 and 57 protruding from the insertion hole 36a,
The airbag 45 and the inflator 40 can be housed and fixed in the case 34.

Then, the cowl louver 18 to which the weather strips 29 and 31 have been assembled is assembled to the cowl panel 13, and each bracket 37 of the case 34 is attached to the cowl panel 1.
If the bolt 38 is fixed to the No. 3, the airbag apparatus M can be mounted on the vehicle.

When the airbag apparatus M is mounted on a vehicle, a lead wire (not shown) for operating the airbag is attached to the inflator 40 through a hole (not shown) provided in the case 34. Connect the wires.

Before the air bag system M is mounted on the vehicle V, the drive motor of the wiper 11 and the hinges 4 and 4 (see FIG. 2) on the rear ends of the left and right edges of the hood panel 3 are mounted. After mounting the airbag apparatus M on the vehicle, the arm of the wiper 11, the hood panel 3, and the like are mounted on the vehicle V.

After the pedestrian airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle, if an actuation signal is input to the inflator 40, the inflator 40 is actuated and discharges inflation gas. The expansion gas is caused to flow into the expansion section 46 from the sections 50 and 50 and expand. for that reason,
The door portion 25 of the cowl louver 18 is pushed by the airbag 45 to rupture the peripheral rupturable portion 23, and the hinge portion 24.
With the center of rotation as the center of rotation, the airbag 45 opens to the rear side of the vehicle V and the airbag 45 expands and inflates.

In the pedestrian airbag device M of the embodiment, if the airbag 45 completes the expansion and inflation,
As shown by the alternate long and two short dashes line in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the solid line in FIG. 11, the pillar covers 47L and 47R are replaced by the front pillars 7L and 7L.
The front surface of R is covered, the hood cover portions 48L and 48R cover the upper surface 3d of the hood panel 3, and the communication portion 49
The cowl 1 near the lower front of the windshield 5.
2 will be covered.

In the airbag 45 of the embodiment,
Inlet part 50 for allowing the expansion gas to flow into the expansion part 46.
Reference numeral 50 is a tubular shape formed by facing the front and back side wall portions 46a and 46b of the inflating portion 46, and is formed integrally with the inflating portion 46 during bag-weaving. To the inflow port 5 by communicating with the inflating part 46.
It can form 0.50. Further, since the inflow port portion 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape, it can be externally connected to the inflator 40 that supplies the inflation gas, and the inflow port can be easily secured while ensuring the sealing property. The part 50 can be connected to the inflator 40.

Furthermore, as the hole provided in the airbag 45, only the opening 50a of the inflow port 50 is formed.
Without having a vent hole for exhausting the inflation gas,
The airbag 45 is configured, and as described above, the inflow port 50 itself is also connected to the inflator 40 with a good sealing property. Furthermore, since the coating layer 54 also prevents gas leakage from the inflatable portion 46 itself, gas leakage from the airbag 45 is prevented as much as possible, and the internal pressure of the airbag 45 after completion of inflation is reduced.
It can be maintained for a long time.

The air bag 45 has an inlet 50.
Can be easily manufactured by using a hollow weave in a state of being integrally formed with the inflatable portion 46 without using sewing or the like.

Therefore, the pedestrian airbag device M of the embodiment can maintain the internal pressure of the airbag 45 for a long time while suppressing the increase in the manufacturing process and cost of the airbag 45. Further, the inflator 40 as a supply source of the inflation gas and the inflow port 5 of the airbag 45.
Since the connection with 0 can be easily performed while ensuring the sealing property, the man-hours and cost for assembling the airbag device M itself can be suppressed.

Further, in the embodiment, the inflatable portions 46 of the airbag 45 are provided at the left and right ends on the left and right front pillars 7L.
Pillar cover 47L that can cover the front of 7R
47R and a communication portion 49 that communicates the left and right pillar cover portions 47L and 47R. Therefore, for example, a pedestrian interferes with the pillar cover portion 47L on one of the left and right sides of the airbag 45 that has completed the inflation, and the pillar cover portion 47L that interferes with the pedestrian is pressed, so that the internal pressure of the airbag 45 will rise. Also, the communication part 49 of the expansion part 45 and the other pillar cover part 47R are
Since the bulge and the increase in the internal pressure of the airbag 45 can be suppressed as much as possible, damage such as burst of the airbag 45 can be prevented.

In particular, the communication portion 49 includes the left and right pillar cover portions 4 that cover the left and right front pillars 7L and 7R, respectively.
Since the 7L and 47R are connected to each other and are long in the left-right direction of the vehicle, it is difficult to interfere with the pedestrian on the entire front surface side, and it is possible to leave a bulgeable portion, so It is possible to easily alleviate a sudden increase in the internal pressure of the airbag 45 due to the interference of

Further, in the embodiment, since the airbag 45 at the time of completion of inflation brings the hood cover portions 48L and 48R into contact with the upper surface 3d of the hood panel 3, the pillars communicating with the hood cover portions 48L and 48R. Cover 47
The L / 47R includes the hood cover portions 48L / 48R so that the upper end 47a side of the pillar cover portions 47L / 47R is
It receives a moment such that it is pressed against the front surface of the front pillars 7L and 7R with the lower end 47b side of the pillar cover portions 47L and 47R as the center of rotation.

In particular, in the embodiment, the airbag 45 is
As a flat air bag type, when the inflation is completed in a state where the vehicle is not mounted, the cover portions 47 and 48 are inflated in the same plane, and the top surface 3 of the hood panel 3 is also inflated.
d and the front surface of the front pillar 7 intersect at an angle smaller than 180 °. Therefore, the hood cover portions 48L and 48R that have been deployed and expanded in the vehicle mounted state are the pillar cover portions 47L and 48L that are arranged in front of the front pillar 7.
The pillar cover portions 47L and 47R are strongly pressed against the front surface of the pillar 7 so as to restore the bending since they are supported by the hood panel upper surface 3d in a state of being bent in the vehicle front upward direction from 47R.

As a result, the pillar covers 47L and 47R
Will be stably arranged so as to be pressed against the front surfaces of the front pillars 7L and 7R.

Further, in the embodiment, the airbag 45 which has completed the expansion and inflation is provided with the left and right front pillars 7L and 7R.
The front part of the lower end of the windshield 5 between the two is provided with a communication part 49 that can cover the front part of the windshield 5, even if the pedestrian slides on the hood panel 3 toward the rear side of the vehicle and tries to interfere with the windshield 5. The portion 49 can prevent interference between the pedestrian and the windshield 5.

In the embodiment, when the airbag 45 completes the expansion and inflation, the hood cover portions 48L and 48L.
R is the upper surface 3d near the edge in the vehicle left-right direction on the rear end 3a side of the hood panel 3, that is, the front pillar 7L.
・ Because the area immediately below 7R is covered, each pillar cover 4
7L and 47R are the hood cover section 48 immediately below, respectively.
The front pillar 7L
It is easy to receive the moment that is pressed against the front side of 7R,
The front surfaces of the front pillars 7L and 7R can be more stably covered. Further, since the hinges 4 and 4 which are rigid parts for supporting the hood panel 3 in an openable manner are arranged at the portions of the hood panel 3 covered by the hood cover portions 48L and 48R, the hood cover portions 48L and 48L 48R
A pedestrian can be appropriately protected from the hard parts on the hood panel 3 side.

The inlet part communicating with the inflating part of the airbag is arranged on the front edge 49a side of the communicating part 49 as in the embodiment, and as shown in FIG.
It can be formed integrally with the inflating portion 46 during the bag weaving of A, and has a substantially tubular shape formed by facing the front and back side wall portions 46a and 46b so that the inflating gas can flow into the inflating portion 46. For example, it may be disposed on the trailing edge 49b side or the like. By the way, in this airbag 45A, the inflow port 50 on the trailing edge 49b side of the communication part 49 is arranged on the lower side in a vehicle mounted state, but when the airbag 45 is completely inflated and expanded, the communication part 49 is replaced by the hood. The upper surface 3c on the rear end 3a side of the panel 3 can be covered, and the pillar cover portions 47L, 47R can cover the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars 7L, 7R.

Further, in the embodiment, the case where the number of the inflow ports 50 provided in the airbag 45 is two is illustrated, but three or more inflow ports 50 may be provided in the airbag or one. Good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with an pedestrian airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with the airbag device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag device of the same embodiment taken along the vehicle front-rear direction, which corresponds to the III-III portion in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag device of the same embodiment taken along the vehicle front-rear direction, which corresponds to a portion IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a cowl louver as an airbag cover used in the airbag apparatus of the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a case used for the airbag apparatus of the same embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an airbag used in the airbag device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the airbag used in the airbag device of the embodiment when inflated, showing a VIII-VIII portion in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of the airbag of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a folding process of the airbag of the same embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vehicle when inflation of the airbag of the embodiment is completed.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing an airbag of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 (7L, 7R) ... front pillar, 12 ... cowl 45 ・ 45A ... Airbag, 46 ... expansion part, 46a ... Front side wall, 46b ... Back side wall part, 47 (47L / 47R) ... Pillar cover part, 48 (48L / 48R) ... Hood cover part, 49 ... communication section, 50 ... inlet, 50a ... aperture, 52 ... peripheral portion, 54 ... coating layer, M ... Pedestrian airbag device.

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Kobayashi             Aichi Prefecture Kasuga-cho, Nishikasugai-gun Ochiai character Nagahata 1             Address within Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Takahashi             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pedestrian airbag device having a configuration in which an airbag at the time of completion of deployment and inflation covers at least an upper portion of a cowl substantially along a vehicle width direction of a vehicle, wherein the airbag is made of a hollow weave. When the expansion gas is formed and the front side wall and the back side wall are overlapped with each other and flattened when the expansion gas flows in and expands by separating the front side wall and the back side wall which have substantially the same planar shape from each other. And a peripheral portion formed around the inflatable portion and formed so as to combine the front side and the back side wall portion, and allowing inflation gas to flow into the inflatable portion, An inflow port, into which the expansion gas can flow, is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the back side walls facing each other, and only the opening at the tip of the inflow port penetrates the inner and outer circumferences. It is formed as a hole, and further gas leaks to the outer peripheral surface side. A pedestrian airbag device, characterized by being provided with a coating layer for prevention. 2. The inflatable portion of the airbag is provided at both left and right ends with a pillar cover portion capable of covering the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars, and a communicating portion communicating with the left and right pillar cover portions. A pedestrian airbag device characterized in that